1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging devices and methods for cut foliage, and, more particularly, to packaging devices and methods for fern.
2. Description of Related Art
Foliage typically passes through a series of hands between the harvester and the retail purchaser's display. As cut foliage has a finite shelf-life and is relatively fragile, the foliage industry has utilized many devices and methods to protect freshness and reduce breakage. Broken and wilted foliage is of little use in the marketplace; therefore, it is an important to be able to protect the product between harvesting and delivery to the consumer.
The floral industry has been changing significantly in recent times at the point of purchase. As flowers and foliage have been making incursions into supermarkets, it has become advantageous to be able to offer cut foliage such as ferns either individually or in small bunches to permit a consumer to make his or her own floral arrangement.
Until now, cut foliage such as ferns has been transported in large bunches of, for example, 20-50 fronds that are banded together but are not packaged. Such bunches are not attractive for presentation at the retail level in, for instance, a bucket-type display. In addition, the potential for breakage in such large bunches is quite high, and transpiration continues, limiting shelf life.
A sleeve 10 that has been used in the art to protect cut foliage and flowers is illustrated in FIG. 1. Such a sleeve 10 comprises a pyramidal-shaped double layer 110,112 of clear plastic joined along the sides 111. The sleeve 10 when empty lies flat is openable to provide a funnel-shaped package for receiving the foliage 15, usually with the stems 16 entering at the wider open top end 102.
The stems 16 typically protrude out of an aperture 106 at the narrower bottom end 104, which provides the ability to water the foliage 15. A flap 108 may also be provided on a first one 110 of the plastic layers. The flap 108 may perhaps have scores 114 adjacent the bottom edge 116 of the second plastic layer 112, to facilitate folding the flap 108, which can be used, for example, during transport of the foliage 15 when watering is not possible, thereby hindering water leakage.
This type of sleeve 10 is useful for transporting and protecting foliage 15 having a shape adapted for packaging in an inverse-pyramidal-shaped vessel, such as cut flowers.